You'll Be Here
by spoowriterfic
Summary: Several missing and post-ep scenes for "The Beast in Me."  There were a few...holes...to fill in.
1. Chapter 1

**You'll Be Here**, Part 1 of 2

**Pairing**: nothing overt, aside from some speculating by Frost and Korsak, but if pushed, I'd say Jane/Maura

**Spoilers**: Up through "The Beast In Me"

**Warnings**: None.

**Disclaimer**: The only thing that's mine is the plot, such as it is.

**Notes**: This is both a missing scene and a post-ep story for "The Beast In Me." As such, I wasn't kidding up there in the spoiler warning. Also, the title comes from an Idina Menzel song called "Here."

* * *

She clutched her phone tightly in her hand as she fled to her car; the volume rocker was pressing deeply and painfully into the still-tender area of her palm around the scar there, but for once, she didn't mind. Instead, she used the pain to focus her mind and keep herself from completely losing control.

In the elevator, she stared at the recent calls list, focused on the entry that said "blocked caller" – her proof that she hadn't imagined the phone call, her reassurance that she wasn't rushing home to an empty apartment.

_Absurdly, the only conscious thought going through her mind as she lifted the phone to her ears was that she hoped the guys couldn't see her hands shaking._

_Just about all of her hostage negotiation training deserted her as soon as she opened her mouth, and she blurted, "Whatever you want, I can get it."_

_There was no verbal response from the other side of the line, but she heard a shaky intake of breath and a sound that might have been a sob._

_Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She thought – **thought** – she recognized something about…._

"_Maura?"_

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw both Frost and Korsak jerk into full alertness._

"_It's me."_

_She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instinctively, she turned away from the guys in case she was about to do the latter._

"_Y-you okay?" Part of her was morbidly wondering when she'd developed a stutter._

"_I've been better. Did I wake you?"_

_She glanced at Korsak and Frost for guidance and found none. "Uh, no. Can – can you get to my apartment?"_

_She could just faintly hear Maura sigh. "I'm sitting outside."_

_She later realized that she could have asked why Maura hadn't come straight to headquarters or gone to her own house, but she hadn't._

_Because there was really only one answer she could give. "I'll – I'll be right there."_

She'd sprinted through the parking garage, so it was only when she was opening her car door that she realized it was quite cold and grabbed a jacket from her trunk.

She fought it so hard she could hear her molars grind together, but two blocks south of headquarters, she had to bow to the inevitable and pull to the side of the road. She hit the steering wheel in frustration, then hit it again when the first hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

She'd spent hours certain that the next call she would receive would be from a beat cop or the coroner; that she'd have to go identify the body of her best friend.

That she'd see her lying lifeless, in her own morgue, with an ice pick sticking out of her ridiculously awesome brain.

That she'd have to stand witness as some other M.E. did the autopsy – because witness it she would; she owed Maura that at the very least.

That she'd stand with Maura's parents at her grave site, having bought or conned or begged half the police force to show up for her, because damned if Maura was going to be as alone in death as she was in life.

She finally wiped her eyes, rubbed her face, and tried to concentrate on driving, but her body was on autopilot and it wasn't until she saw Maura sitting on her front stoop, shivering in the chill air, that it all became real and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Her tires squealed as she parked haphazardly behind Marissa's Honda, jumping out of the car and slamming the door closed behind her.

She half-ran to the stairs and then skidded to a halt, a knot forming in her stomach when she saw the lost, lonely look on Maura's face.

She knelt before her friend, shoving her own emotions to the side in favor of this real need in front of her.

"Maura?" she said softly, gently. "Hey?"

Slowly, her eyes came around and locked with Jane's. Her chin began to tremble.

"Maura…sweetie, come inside. Please?"

She swallowed hard, and then her teeth began to chatter. "I – I was so scared."

_So we're gonna do this here. Damn._

She slipped out of her coat and wrapped it around her friend, then folded her hands around Maura's. "You're safe. It'll be okay."

"He wasn't – he – "

"Was it your – was it Doyle?"

She nodded jerkily.

Her eyes fell on thin red abrasions on Maura's wrists. Something in her stomach began to burn. "Did he hurt you?"

"No."

She rubbed her finger across one of the bruises; she thought she recognized it as a zip tie, but wasn't sure. The burning anger began to spread; she felt her face flush with it and did her best to keep it out of her eyes.

She turned her wrist over and traced the rest of the bruise, then looked up and met her friend's eyes. More firmly, she asked, "Maura? Did he hurt you?"

"No."

Jane stared at her.

Maura was lying.

Maura didn't – couldn't – lie.

She couldn't reconcile the two until she realized what it had to be: Doyle might not have hurt her directly, but someone certainly had.

She pulled her hands out from under Jane's and rubbed her wrists. "I almost forgot your number," she said.

Any thought she might have had about pursuing the matter of the bruises vanished.

Maura never forgot anything.

She pushed Maura's hair back behind her ears, trying to regain eye contact. "It's okay," she said soothingly, forcing herself to think about something other than beating the crap out of the bastard, even if it would land the entire Irish mob after her. That could wait. "You remembered."

"He wouldn't – wouldn't let me call 911. They could…track where I was."

"It's okay. You got me. I'm here."

Maura's eyes began to well with tears. "He drove me…oh, for half an hour or so…he dropped me off at a Starbucks in Somerville, so no one I knew would see the car. I – the cab…. My purse is at the office."

Only then did she notice the taxi sitting patiently across the street. "Hey, it's okay, I got it." She jogged over and shoved a few bills into the driver's hand. "Keep the change," she said, already heading towards Maura's shivering form.

"Lady, this isn't…."

She stopped, turned, and flashed her badge with a glare.

"Whatever," he grumbled, flying down the street in a squeal of tires.

Jane knelt next to Maura again. "All taken care of."

"I didn't – I don't have anybody else nearby that I could call. If I couldn't remember your number…."

_Oh, Maura_.

Jane sat down hard on the step; she'd never realized, in quite such a visceral way, how alone she really felt. How alone she was.

She said the first thing that popped into her head: "I gotta get you a damn key."

Distracted, Maura frowned with something approaching her usual sharp intelligence. "What?"

"'Least you wouldn't be sitting out here in the cold, waiting for me."

Maura sighed and slumped against Jane, shivering. "I don't think I'd have thought to use one if I had it. I'm not thinking straight."

"Then let's go inside," Jane suggested, more forcefully this time. "Come on." She reached around Maura and hauled her to her feet.

She left her arm there as she led her friend inside.

At first, she settled Maura on the couch. "Here," she said, wrapping her in an afghan. "Warm up a little." She sat facing her friend, watching her carefully.

Maura would not meet her eyes. She was staring off somewhere in the distance, absentmindedly petting Jo Friday, who had jumped up and immediately snuggled up on her lap.

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

Maura glanced at her briefly, but then her eyes darted skittishly away.

"Maura?"

"I…well, I yelled at him."

Despite herself, she grinned. "You did?"

She smiled slightly. "I remembered what you said once, about Hoyt? About how letting him see that you were afraid…"

"…gave him power. I remember." She sighed. "So you were scared out of your mind and yellin' at your biological dad."

"Essentially, yes."

"What did he want?"

She sighed. "I – I don't know, really." Her stomach rumbled and she winced, embarrassed. "I know what he _said_ he wanted."

Jane, on the other hand, frowned. "When's the last time you ate?"

"What time is it now?"

"Almost two."

"About eighteen hours ago."

Jane sighed. "I…I've got Lucky Charms. That's about it." She stood and headed for the kitchen. "I'll get you some while you tell me what happened."

"Thank you," Maura said as she followed Jane to the kitchen.

Jane poured some cereal into a bowl. "So, what was he like?"

Maura sighed and watched as her friend went to get some milk. "He had a gentleness I – I wasn't expecting."


	2. Chapter 2

**You'll Be Here**, Part 2 of 2

**Pairing**: Nothing overt, aside from some speculating by Frost and Korsak, but if pushed, I'd say Jane/Maura

**Spoilers**: Up through "The Beast In Me"

**Warnings**: None.

**Disclaimer**: The only thing that's mine is the plot, such as it is.

**Notes**: Frost and Korsak are both tough to write, for completely different reasons. Hopefully, they translated well. Thank you for all the reviews!

* * *

Frost closed the door behind him and sat down heavily with a deep, heartfelt sigh.

"She see you?" Korsak asked.

"Don't think so."

"Get there okay?"

"Eventually."

"Huh?"

Frost rolled across the room in his desk chair; although they were the only ones there, he lowered his voice. "You ever seen Jane cry?"

He frowned. "Once. When they pulled out the second scalpel."

"Not the first?"

"No," was all he said; the memory of that scream would haunt his nightmares forever. They would all be better off if that was where it stayed.

"Well?"

He sighed. "Jane crying? Saddest thing you'll ever see." He glanced at Frost. "You tell her I said that, I'll break your arms."

"Hey, not me. I know better."

"Why do you ask?" His eyes widened as he answered his own question. "Where?" he asked.

"Couple blocks from here. Pulled over to the side of the street and bawled her eyes out for a minute or two, then drove on like nothing happened."

Korsak glanced at him. "She wanted to hang out in the morgue. I stopped her. If she'd have been there…."

He made a dismissive gesture. "They'd have still taken the Doc."

"Maybe," Korsak admitted. "Probably hurt Jane to grab her." They both knew Jane would put herself in the line of fire to protect her.

Frost met Korsak's eyes for a moment, then looked away. "Logical."

"Yeah," Korsak said quietly. "But…look, it's logical that it's not my fault Hoyt got her. Doesn't mean I don't feel lousy about it."

"You think it's the same thing? Cop guilt?"

Korsak snorted, then laughed outright.

"Yeah, okay. Not the same thing." He fiddled with a pen for a moment. He'd wanted to ask pretty much since the first time he'd seen the two interact, but could never find the right time. Yet here they were, alone in the squad room, in the middle of the night. "You think they…?"

"I dunno. Don't think it matters, really."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "Feelin's there. What they do or don't do in the bedroom doesn't change that."

"Maybe."

"Look, the rest of us, Jane's gotta be strong for." He shrugged again. "She's gotta be tough. She doesn't have to do that with the Doc. It's a good thing. No one's tough all the time."

Frost frowned. "I never – "

"Women cops gotta. It's no fair, but it's still the way it is. You've seen how Crowe treats her. It was ten times worse when she started. Some jerkwad even left a tampon in a water bottle on her desk."

"So, you're saying…."

"I'm sayin' the Doc's her safe space. Everyone's gotta have one." Seeing Frost's skeptical look, he sighed. "You're too young, kid, and things are already changing." Korsak drummed his fingers on his desk. "They do bicker like an old married couple," he finally admitted, granting him the point.

"Yeah, like you'd know."

"Hey, I been married – "

Frost rolled his eyes. "Sure…but were you ever married long enough to qualify as an old married couple?"

"Well, hell, Frost, if they qualify, I sure do."

Frost shrugged. "Yeah, all right." He glanced at Jane's empty desk. "She promised them anything."

"That's just who Jane is," Korsak said. "And why she pisses off the brass so much. She doesn't care about rules if she thinks they're between her and helping someone."

"Someone?"

"Well, okay, it bein' the Doc didn't hurt, but that's how Hoyt got her the first time, too. She went in without backup."

Frost sighed. "It's a good thing she's so damn good at her job."

"Only thing that saves her, sometimes."

* * *

Sunday dinner with the Rizzolis had been an…experience. Maura had tried all night, but never could find the words to thank them for welcoming her into the fold, or for Jane for her thoughtfulness in asking her in the first place.

It was so different than the events she'd gone to as a child. She'd been carefully instructed in the proper social graces, but they were predictable, scripted.

There was nothing in cotillion classes about how to intervene when a brother and sister were about to include her in a pillow fight.

Still, somehow Jane had known that the last thing she wanted was to be alone, and she had invented errands and activities for them to do together all weekend.

As Sunday night lengthened into Monday morning, though, they'd both run out of excuses and Jane had reluctantly left to go home, despite several invitations to use the guest bedroom downstairs.

Battling a vague feeling of rejection, Maura had slept very little.

She continued debating with herself as she drove to work. A thank you card would suffice for the Rizzolis, wouldn't it? They seemed the traditional type.

But it didn't seem enough – they had welcomed her with open arms, Angela in particular, and by the time she left she'd been certain that Angela would involve herself in her life as thoroughly as she did Jane's.

She forced herself not to think too closely about the fact that these people were becoming more of a family to her than either of her real ones.

Perhaps she could send them some San Marzano tomatoes, or some other specialty Italian foods?

But would that interest Mr. Rizzoli, who, though more subdued than his boisterous wife, had been nothing but kind?

And Jane….

Whatever was she going to do for Jane?

She was still pondering that one as she walked into her office, absently hanging up her jacket and stowing her lunch – which consisted of leftovers from the night before – in the likely event that Jane came down to share.

She turned to boot up her computer and froze.

There, on her keyboard, was a key.

It sat there, unmarked and unadorned, but she knew exactly what it was.

She sat at her desk and carefully threaded it onto her key ring, her mind racing. As she did, she noticed a slip of paper sticking out from beneath her keyboard.

_Ma. Pop. Frankie. Frost. Korsak. Marissa. Aunt Anna._

It was a list of phone numbers fifteen people long, with multiple numbers for each person, and annotated with a short note: _I figure you can have these memorized in…what…five minutes?_

Strangely, perhaps irrationally, she felt a little relieved at knowing why Jane had forced herself to leave the night before – though she had to wonder where she'd found a twenty-four hour locksmith.

Finally, she picked up her phone and typed out a text message.

**Jane – I have an errand to run at lunch. There are leftovers down here if you want some.**

She hit send and then paused. **And before you ask, they're in the 'good' fridge.**

She put her keys back in her purse and was not surprised when her phone beeped at her almost immediately.

**Anything I can help with?**

Maura smiled and shook her head. That, of course, was Jane's not-so-subtle offer to provide guard service.

**No, but thank you.**

There was a longer pause.

**Dinner tonight?**

Maura smiled again. **Sure. Unless we get a call, I don't have much to do but paperwork today. Meet you upstairs at 5?**

**Sure. :-)**

She shook her head and turned her phone to silent, then opened up an autopsy report she had begun the day before and began to type.

* * *

Jane had had to drag herself out of bed the next morning; dinner had lengthened into movie night, which would have been fine on a weekend but was difficult at best on a weeknight.

Still, she didn't regret it; despite her assurances to the contrary, it was clear that Maura was still struggling with the events of their last case, and she was happy to do what she could to distract her friend from it.

Not that she blamed her – she didn't know what was worse: to find out she had a brother only after doing his autopsy, or to discover her father was…who he was.

"For all I know," she'd muttered in a slightly drunken slur, "my mother's a serial killer."

Jane had been pretty proud of her reply, if she did say so herself, especially after half a bottle of wine: "Don't you mean your egg donor?"

Given that Maura had had to drive home and change in the morning, she was somewhat surprised to see her friend's car sitting patiently in her parking spot, but chalked it up to Maura's work ethic with a fond grin.

She headed upstairs to drop her stuff off, planning to make a visit down to the autopsy room to make sure she was doing all right.

She reached out to flick on her computer and froze, staring at her keyboard.

She picked up the key and stared at the keychain. _Fair's fair_ was written on one side, and on the other the numbers 2718.

Her alarm code. It had to be.

She began to grin as she carefully removed the keychain and added the key to her ring, conscious of the security risk the keychain itself represented.

She dug out her phone. **I figured it would be pi**, she typed.

It didn't take long for the reply. **But I already told you how I admire Euler's number **_**e**_**.**

**Right. How could I forget that? ;-)**

**Sarcasm, Jane?**

Jane shook her head. **There's still some leftovers in the good fridge. Mind if I come down and share?**

**See you at 12**.

She put her phone down with a smile, pulling out some paperwork and getting to work.

She never noticed Frost and Korsak exchange knowing grins behind her back.


End file.
